Foley, Ala. – There were three unbeaten teams remaining in the NAIA National Women's Soccer Tournament at the start of Thursday's (Nov. 30) quarterfinal rounds. Two of them squared off in an incredible matchup of contrasting styles, pitting the top-ranked offensive team in the country and the top-ranked defensive team in the nation.
That defensive squad, #9 Aquinas, held a pair of one-goal leads over the undefeated and top-ranked William Carey Crusaders, an offensive juggernaut. Unfortunately for the Saints, William Carey's offense was just slightly better than the AQ defense on Thursday, as the #1 Crusaders prevailed with a goal in the final four minutes for the 3-2 victory.
It is the second straight year that Aquinas' season has come to an end in the national quarterfinals – and the second season in a row that the Saints were eliminated by the #1 team in the country.
Last year in Orange Beach, AQ made its first-ever appearance in the round of eight, falling to 22-0-1 Keiser, the top team in the country. Making their second appearance in a row as one of the elite women's soccer programs in the nation, Aquinas was matched up with then 22-0 William Carey, who defeated Keiser in Monday's opening round. That 1-0 victory for William Carey and AQ's 2-1 win over #8 John Brown set the stage for an epic matchup. And it was one that nearly went in Aquinas' favor.
The Saints' season ends with an outstanding 17-1-4 record, while William Carey remains unbeaten at 23-0 and advances to Saturday's semifinals.
"I'm really proud of the team and the way they played - not just today, but all season long," said second-year head coach
James DeCosemo. "I think on another day, maybe some things might go our way and we make it through this game. But that's soccer. Huge credit to our seniors, who have helped make this program a regular at the National Tournament final site. Now the work begins to get back here again next year."
William Carey entered Thursday's contest with 135 goals this season – an astonishing 44 more than any other team in the country – while Aquinas had allowed just five goals all year, the fewest of any team in the NAIA. Perhaps surprisingly, the Saints cracked the scoreboard first.
It was nearly the Crusaders taking the 1-0 lead, as WCU attempted a flurry of shots in a 10-second span in the seventh minute. One shot was blocked, another hit the post, and goalkeeper
Kayla Shuk saved the third attempt, AQ's first test against William Carey's offensive firepower.
The Saints offense settled in and took the next two attempts before three consecutive Crusader shots were blocked by the rigid Aquinas defense. The teams volleyed back and forth until Aquinas broke through.
In the 29th minute,
Macy Hollingsworth made a short pass to
Brittney Probst in the middle of the pitch, as she approached the William Carey box. Probst sent a ball to her left that was deflected by a Crusader defender, but still found its way to a sprinting
Maeva Lichtensteiger. From just inside the box, Lichtensteiger put her left foot on the ball and placed a beautiful strike just under the crossbar and past goalkeeper Marlen Kelm for the terrific goal.
It was the 10th goal of the season for Lichtensteiger and Probst's seventh assist. Probst also had an assist on AQ's first goal in Monday's victory over John Brown and began the sequence for the second goal with another great pass in the triumph.
William Carey sensed the urgency and became even more aggressive, totaling four shots and a corner kick over the next eight minutes. A foul on the Saints in the 44th minute gave WCU a free kick and the top-ranked Crusaders would capitalize. Maria Azarias took the free kick about five yards outside of the box and somehow curved it around the AQ defense and just inside the left post for the equalizer. It was her 18th goal of the year.
The teams would head to halftime tied at 1-1. William Carey held a 14-5 edge in total shots and a 3-0 lead in corners in the opening 45 minutes.
Aquinas would dominate the opening 10 minutes of the second half, taking both shot attempts during that time – Probst hit the crossbar on the first – and regaining a one-goal lead. Probst tracked down a loose ball in the right corner, crossed over her defender, and played a terrific ball into the box for
Sydney Shenk.
The 2023 WHAC Offensive Player of the Year, Shenk flipped a gorgeous pass behind her to Hollingsworth, who was directly in front of the goal. Hollingsworth went top shelf and buried the goal past Kelm to put the Saints back on top 2-1 at the 54:53 mark. The goal was reminiscent of Monday's eventual game-winning goal against John Brown, which also went from Probst to Shenk to Hollingsworth. Only this time, the trio flipped sides of the field, with Probst beginning the sequence on the right side on Thursday.
It was Hollingsworth's ninth goal of the year, while Shenk (ninth) and Probst (eighth) both collected assists.
Aquinas had not given up two goals in a game the entire season, but William Carey's offensive prowess is unlike anything the Saints had seen in 2023. That being said, AQ kept brushing away scoring chances, with Shuk making four saves over the next 12 minutes. The Crusaders attempted seven shots and recorded four corner kicks during that stretch and eventually cracked through to knot the game at 2-2.
Another foul on AQ gave William Carey a free kick in the 71st minute, which would again be taken by Azarias. She was closer to 15 yards outside of the box on this set piece attempt. Her shot appeared to be unintentionally deflected by a Saints defender and squeezed past Shuk to tie the score, with Azarias scoring for the 19th time this season.
Each team had a solid scoring opportunity over the next 15 minutes, but the game remained a 1-1 deadlock. It wasn't until the 86:43 mark when William Carey took its first lead of the contest. The Crusaders played a great ball into the box and leading scorer Christina Salmon put in the go-ahead goal with her 22nd tally of the season, hitting it just past a Saints defender and a diving Shuk.
Aquinas was unable to muster another shot attempt in the final 3:17 of the game, as the Saints put up a tremendous fight but fell for the second year in a row to the nation's top team by a single goal.
William Carey held a wide 25-8 margin in total shots and a 12-2 advantage in shots on goal, meaning both of AQ's shots on goal ended in an actual goal. The Saints made nine saves, while the Crusaders officially made zero. WCU was in front on corner kicks, 7-0. Aquinas doubled up William Carey in fouls, 12-6.
Hollingsworth, Lichtensteiger, and
Laia Cunill all attempted two shots apiece, with Shenk and Probst each taking one. Shuk's nine saves are a career-high.
Thursday's heartbreaking defeat caps the sixth straight appearance at the NAIA National Tournament for the Saints and the third year in a row advancing to the final site. AQ is now an impressive 9-6 all-time in the NAIA National Tournament, having won a game in national postseason play each of the last four seasons.
Aquinas will graduate another talented class of seniors, but will bring back a strong group of returners and look to mix in new faces to continue the well-established tradition of the program in 2024.
